Pleasant Valley

by Louis Bromfield, Kate Lord (Illustrator)

The connections between earth and humans are interwoven throughout as Louis Bromfield writes about farming with elegance and joy. And Bromfield skillfully portrays that marriage between dream and reality that is so necessary in working the land as he writes, "Wait until Spring comes!" This beautiful new edition of Pleasant Valley is as useful now, maybe even more so, than when it was first published in the early 1940s.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Classics, Environment, Nature

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Louis Bromfield was an American author and conservationist who gained international recognition winning the Pulitzer Prize and pioneering innovative scientific farming concepts.

Bromfield studied agriculture at Cornell University from 1914 to 1916,[1] but transferred to Columbia University to study journalism. While at Columbia University, Louis Bromfield was initiated into the fraternal organization Phi Delta Theta. His time at Columbia would be short lived and he left after less than a year to go to war. After serving with the American Field Service in World War I and being awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor, he returned to New York City and found work as a reporter. In 1924, his first novel, The Green Bay Tree, won instant acclaim. He won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for best novel for Early Autumn. All of his 30 books were best-sellers, and many, such as The Rains Came and Mrs. Parkington, were made into successful motion pictures.

photograph by: Carl Van Vechten

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

 
I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author used was able to craft vivid images with words. Pleasant Valley is a memoir, written after having been an ex-pat for nearly 30 years in many countries, but was always a bit homesick for his home in Ohio, where he had been born and lived until going to fight in WWI. With the initial rumblings in Europe in the 30's, and those in tune with what was going on recommended he and his family return, he finally heeded the call, returning to his beloved Ohio and bought a farm. He had always loved gardening/ farming and animals; the earth and watching things grow and used his farm to experiment with his theories of how to return health to otherwise "dead" soil and how to raise healthier crops naturally, without the aid of chemicals. The books not only details what he had done and what worked or not, but also goes into local lore and history (Johnny Appleseed, the Dauphin), memories of his childhood, local flora and fauna, and paints a very quaint picture with his writing. I was unaware of his popularity years ago, or his fame as a writer (winning the Pulitzer in 1927 for Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady), that all of his 30 books were best sellers-- many being made into movies, his friendships with other ex-pats of the era, and of his fame in the field of organic farming-- actually a pioneer in some regards. At the time, by many farmers, his notions were regarded as unsound, but the results of the output of his farm won many over. His farm was as famous as he was-- Malabar Farm, with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall getting married there. According to wikipedia:""Malabar Farm" was to become his major work during his last 20 years. Bromfield was an early proponent of organic and self-sustaining gardening, and his farm was one of the first to stop using pesticides. The farm was used as a government test site for soil conservation practices.[2] However, as recently as 2017 no-till farming is practiced by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the current Farm owner. No-till farming is highly dependent on pesticides and herbicides for pest and weed control. For example, atrazine, which has a controversial history, is one of many herbicides being applied.Bromfield's writings turned from fiction to nonfiction and his reputation and influence as a conservationist and farmer continued to expand. Today, thousands of visitors annually visit Malabar Farm State Park, which still operates under Bromfield's management philosophy. One of the park's notable features is the Doris Duke Woods, named for philanthropist Doris Duke, who was a friend of Bromfield's and whose donation helped purchase the property after his death.In the 1980s, Louis Bromfield was posthumously elected to the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame, and in December 1996, the centennial of his birth, the Ohio Department of Agriculture placed a bust of him in the lobby named for him at the department's new headquarters in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.The innovative and visionary work of Louis Bromfield continues to influence agricultural methodologies around the world. Malabar Brazil, under the direction of Ellen Bromfield Geld, has expanded the horizons of her father's principles and pursuits. To ensure the work continues well into the 21st century, the Malabar 2000 Foundation plans to develop a center for study at Malabar Farm to further the work begun in Richland County (Mansfield, Ohio) by Louis Bromfield.Bromfield was close friends with acting legend, farmer and soil conservationist James Cagney."Louis Bromfield also was involved in the creation of "Friends of the Land".:"Friends of the land and the rise of environmentalism, 1940–1954Article in Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 8(1):1-16 · January 1995 with 81 ReadsDOI: 10.1007/BF02286398The rise of the postwar environmental movement is rooted in the development of ecological consciousness within intellectual circles as well as the general public. Though many commentators cite the 1960s as the focal point of the new environmentalism, the ecological ethic had actually evolved by the 1930s in the writings and speeches of both scientists and public commentators. Agricultural conservationists led the way in broadcasting the message of ecology. Friends of the Land, an agriculturally-oriented conservation organization formed in 1940 and active through the 1950s, is an interesting example of how the agricultural community was an integral component in the rise of environmentalism. While Friends of the Land flourished only for a brief period, its goals and the ideas that the group represented illustrate how the ecological ethic was burgeoning by the early-1950s. Furthermore, the history of Friends of the Land is an important chapter in the ongoing quest for ecological agriculture and societal permanence. Friends of the land and the rise of environmentalism, 1940–1954. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publicat... [accessed Jun 07 2018]."I think Mr. Bromfield was a visionary, way ahead of his time, and this book is just as timely now as when he wrote it. I saw one review that said they thought Mr. Bromfield sounded kind of "braggy" through the book, but I did not feel that at all. I thought he was proud of what he had accomplished (and rightly so) despite what all the naysayers and said. His love of the earth and all things in it was apparent, and he relished in describing the beauty he saw. I am glad to have read this book, it has enriched my life in a simple but thoughtful way.
 

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author used was able to craft vivid images with words. Pleasant Valley is a memoir, written after having been an ex-pat for nearly 30 years in many countries, but was always a bit homesick for his home in Ohio, where he had been born and lived until going to fight in WWI. With the initial rumblings in Europe in the 30's, and those in tune with what was going on recommended he and his family return, he finally heeded the call, returning to his beloved Ohio and bought a farm. He had always loved gardening/ farming and animals; the earth and watching things grow and used his farm to experiment with his theories of how to return health to otherwise "dead" soil and how to raise healthier crops naturally, without the aid of chemicals. The books not only details what he had done and what worked or not, but also goes into local lore and history (Johnny Appleseed, the Dauphin), memories of his childhood, local flora and fauna, and paints a very quaint picture with his writing.
I was unaware of his popularity years ago, or his fame as a writer (winning the Pulitzer in 1927 for Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady), that all of his 30 books were best sellers-- many being made into movies, his friendships with other ex-pats of the era, and of his fame in the field of organic farming-- actually a pioneer in some regards. At the time, by many farmers, his notions were regarded as unsound, but the results of the output of his farm won many over. His farm was as famous as he was-- Malabar Farm, with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall getting married there. According to wikipedia:
""Malabar Farm" was to become his major work during his last 20 years. Bromfield was an early proponent of organic and self-sustaining gardening, and his farm was one of the first to stop using pesticides. The farm was used as a government test site for soil conservation practices.[2] However, as recently as 2017 no-till farming is practiced by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the current Farm owner. No-till farming is highly dependent on pesticides and herbicides for pest and weed control. For example, atrazine, which has a controversial history, is one of many herbicides being applied.

Bromfield's writings turned from fiction to nonfiction and his reputation and influence as a conservationist and farmer continued to expand. Today, thousands of visitors annually visit Malabar Farm State Park, which still operates under Bromfield's management philosophy. One of the park's notable features is the Doris Duke Woods, named for philanthropist Doris Duke, who was a friend of Bromfield's and whose donation helped purchase the property after his death.

In the 1980s, Louis Bromfield was posthumously elected to the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame, and in December 1996, the centennial of his birth, the Ohio Department of Agriculture placed a bust of him in the lobby named for him at the department's new headquarters in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

The innovative and visionary work of Louis Bromfield continues to influence agricultural methodologies around the world. Malabar Brazil, under the direction of Ellen Bromfield Geld, has expanded the horizons of her father's principles and pursuits. To ensure the work continues well into the 21st century, the Malabar 2000 Foundation plans to develop a center for study at Malabar Farm to further the work begun in Richland County (Mansfield, Ohio) by Louis Bromfield.

Bromfield was close friends with acting legend, farmer and soil conservationist James Cagney."

Louis Bromfield also was involved in the creation of "Friends of the Land".:
"Friends of the land and the rise of environmentalism, 1940–1954
Article in Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 8(1):1-16 · January 1995 with 81 Reads
DOI: 10.1007/BF02286398
The rise of the postwar environmental movement is rooted in the development of ecological consciousness within intellectual circles as well as the general public. Though many commentators cite the 1960s as the focal point of the new environmentalism, the ecological ethic had actually evolved by the 1930s in the writings and speeches of both scientists and public commentators. Agricultural conservationists led the way in broadcasting the message of ecology. Friends of the Land, an agriculturally-oriented conservation organization formed in 1940 and active through the 1950s, is an interesting example of how the agricultural community was an integral component in the rise of environmentalism. While Friends of the Land flourished only for a brief period, its goals and the ideas that the group represented illustrate how the ecological ethic was burgeoning by the early-1950s. Furthermore, the history of Friends of the Land is an important chapter in the ongoing quest for ecological agriculture and societal permanence.

Friends of the land and the rise of environmentalism, 1940–1954. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publicat... [accessed Jun 07 2018]."

I think Mr. Bromfield was a visionary, way ahead of his time, and this book is just as timely now as when he wrote it. I saw one review that said they thought Mr. Bromfield sounded kind of "braggy" through the book, but I did not feel that at all. I thought he was proud of what he had accomplished (and rightly so) despite what all the naysayers and said. His love of the earth and all things in it was apparent, and he relished in describing the beauty he saw. I am glad to have read this book, it has enriched my life in a simple but thoughtful way.

[Ann Dowd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hmm - this book paints the beauty of a well tended farm such that life in the suburbs seems wrong in so many ways. This is a fantastic read. The miracle of dirt and why we all need it.

[Dan Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

We own 79 acres of farm/ranch land that I am beginning the second generation of ownership. While I worked on the farm a lot of my life, it was really my father's passion and like most kids I looked at the farm work as WORK, and something to be avoided as much as possible. Now that he's gone and I'm older with kids of my own, I understand the lessons that growing up on a farm provided me.

Unfortunately, what I didn't learn was actually how to do everything. Do I get this feed or that feed? How do I prepare soil in a large field? I know how to garden, but I really don't think I'll hand till 10 acres, nor haul in grass clippings to improve the soil one pitch fork at a time. The Amazon reviews lead me to believe that Pleasant Valley was, while a bit winded, the perfect book to start with on learning to connect with your land, and how to properly manage the land to have it healthy and self sufficient (with work).

Having finally finished the book, I can agree with the winded part of the book. I had to keep reminding myself that this book was written during the 40s and 50s, and the type of agriculture practices that the author rails INCESSANTLY against were much more prevelent during that time period. That some of the practices he is promoting really were a new way of thinking at that time. But in current times, these ideas aren't really anything dramatic. Protect the soil, use cover crops, legumes provide nitrogen, cow poop is good for the soil. Not exactly startling revelations.

What this book is really a primer for is either going off the grid and being self sufficient, or becoming a human world hating enviromentalist. If you are trying to actually farm, raise animals, or need details on how to set up a small farm, there are better books which I hope to review as I go forward.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: The author, a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, narrates his return from France to the area he where grew up, his purchase of several worn out farms, and his pioneering efforts in sustainable agriculture that restored the land to fertility, bringing health not only to the land but to those who made it their home.

One of my favorite parts of Ohio, my home state, are the lush rolling hills of north central Ohio, a mix of small towns, forest and farmland. Malabar Farm, once the home of Louis Bromfield, a 1927 Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, continues to this day as a working farm operated as a state park. I've camped on its land with my son's Boy Scout troop and toured its Big House (Bogart and Bacall were married there) and outbuildings. But until now, I had never read the story of this place by Bromfield himself--having only just found a copy on a birthday trip to a used bookstore.

Pleasant Valley is Bromfield's narrative of his return from France to fulfill a lifelong dream of farming in the valley where he grew up. He purchased several old worn out farms and began the process of restoring soils to fertility, putting into practice progressive agricultural practices like contour planting, using cover crops to hold and restore the soil, restoring woodlots, and tilling and disking his fields but not plowing to leave a cover which, along with manure, and cover crops would hold moisture and the soil itself. Eventually, he acquired roughly 1000 acres, and provided a sustainable life for the 35 or so people and hosts of pets and livestock who shared the land.

He described the building of the Big House, adding on to an original structure and creating a place that could accommodate a celebrity wedding, a study where he could write and think, and a home where children and his pet boxers could live rambunctiously and joyously. Through his description, we see the contoured strips of plantings, the healthy livestock, the pond where the boys went skinny-dipping. We share in his wonder as he discovers springs of water once again coming forth, a sign that the soils of his land are retaining water which is going down into the water table that feeds these springs.

Bromfield believed that the health of the soil was the health of the people. In addition to narrative, he gives us trenchant commentary contrasting living and dead farms, the follies of modern agriculture, and the potential to feed a far greater nation if only we would care for the foundation of our agriculture, the land. He was Ohio's Wendell Berry, articulating a vision of attentiveness to the soil, and a sense of place, a generation before Berry began writing.

One of the most beautiful and poignant chapters in the book was his description of "My Ninety Acres", the farm of Walter Oakes. He and his wife Nellie acquired this land at the time of their marriage, and together cared for it until Nellie died in childbirth. It was her wisdom that led to fence rows that were allowed to grow up, sheltering birds that fed on insects that in other fields would destroy crops. Bromfield and Oakes would walk the farm every Sunday, with Oakes sharing his wisdom in tending this small but prosperous farm. At the end of the chapter, and near the end of Walter's life, after talking with son Robert about how Walter often seemed to conflate Nellie and the farm into a single entity, he wrote this beautiful account:

"As I watched that big work-worn hand caressing that stalk of corn, I understood suddenly the whole story of Walter and Nellie and the ninety acres. Walter was old now, but he was vigorous and the rough hand that caressed that corn was the hand of a passionate lover. It was the hand that had caressed the body of a woman who had been loved as few women had ever been loved, so passionately and deeply and tenderly that there would never be another woman who could take her place. I felt again a sudden lump in my throat, for I knew that I had understood suddenly, forty years after the woman was dead, one of the most tragic but beautiful of all love stories. I know now what Robert's strange remark about Nellie and the ninety acres getting all mixed up had meant. Robert himself must once have seen something very like what I had just seen" (p. 154).

Louis Bromfield returned to Pleasant Valley seventy years ago. Yet this narrative has a timeless quality about it because it deals with one of the most basic and elemental realities from which we cannot escape. We discover in these pages the joy and deep satisfaction of caring for the land and the place that in turn gives us our life. Even those of us who live in cities have deep interests in this project, whether it is in the tending of our little garden plots and protecting against runoffs of fertilizers into our watersheds, or in the health of farms around us that provide us our produce, milk, meat, and eggs. All of us will either just use this place or love it. Bromfield inspires us to the latter.

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is worth reading for the explanations of how he restored the soil on his farms. A lot of the book is musings on his personal philosophies of economics, politics and religion that I found less interesting than his conservation efforts. He was truly a visionary in regard to soil conservation and intelligent farming.

[Carrie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Author's Love of the Land.

This is an account of the author moving back in the late 1930's to the farming valley of his childhood which he remembered with fondness and longing.

Part memoir, part practical account, the focus is on sustainable farming, enriching the soil with manure, compost, and green crops and being true stewards of the land, not 'mining' the land as he calls it, i.e, just using the land, stripping the soil of all nutrients and allowing topsoil to wash away creating wind and dust and dead land, then moving to the next farm and doing the same thing, which the author says is one of the causes of the westward migration, though he says part of the problem was the use of European farming methods, whereas the climate in the U.S. is harsher and requires more care. I had no idea that by the late 30's farming land was in the poor state it was in, especially he says, in the south.

He has some interesting observations such as plants that grow together and seem to have some type of mutually beneficial relationship, as in the case of clover and Kentucky Bluegrass, and how there are times when weeds are beneficial. He also determined that plowing is not good for the soil because it turns the manure, compost, leftover plant material or green crops under the soil where it ferments and creates detrimental acids whereas when the materials are allowed to stay on top of the soil they break down and amend the soil.

He talks about the farms in the valley on the land he purchased and their differences and how you could tell which farmers had used good farming methods and which hadn't. He also became reaquainted and made friends with a farmer friend of his father's who truly loved and cared for the land and it was evident by how green and healthy his farm looked. (This reminded me of the Native American in the book, Grandfather, by Tom Brown, Jr. who cared for the section of woods he lived in and it looked healthier than the other parts of the woods.)

There are chapters on the refashioning of the house on the farm he chose, to suit his family, the dogs and other animals on his farm and a few others, all delightful, but the focus is on the land which I thought was especially relevant today with our soil as it is, in a dead state and kept going only by chemical fertilizers, and with the move toward organic and biodynamic farming methods.

For anyone that loves the land.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Louis Bromfield is one of those authors who was famous in his day, a Pulitzer winner, but virtually unknown now. I picked up this book because my daughter attended the College of Wooster in Ohio, and Bromfield lived somewhat near there. The book is the story of how he came to settle on a farm and renovate the property (because of his Hollywood work, it's where Humphrey Bogart married Lauren Bacall). At first I was intrigued by the descriptions of nature and farm life, but then it got incredibly tedious as he indulged in more and more polemics about how farmers needed to return to natural methods and how so many of his neighbors didn't know what the hell they were doing, and then when he began to describe every room of the house and its renovations, I thought, that's it. So Bromfield may be worth exploring for his fiction, but you can steer your tractor right around this one.

[JAKe Hatmacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like nature, animals, farming, politics, history and geography, you are in luck. There is some of everything in this book and it was written by a man who was influential in writing Hollywood scripts and changing farming practices in at least the Midwest in the middle of the 20th century.
Get ready for tails of Johnny Appleseed, the Dauphin prince, goats that want to be in the family and a silly mongoose, and good farming and farmers and horrible farmers that raped the land they farmed on.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book written 75 years ago it is remarkably applicable to today as far as the need to keep farming
on a path for sustainability. It is a picture of one man's love for the country, and I am sure explains many
older farmer's attachment to the land. It shows why having factory farms is not a good plan for our future,
although it appears to be the future now.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book, the fact that it's written about a farm and a way of life right here in Ohio only a couple hours from me makes it even more special. Very glad I finished before my book club's visit to Malabar Farm, it will mean so much more!

[Wendy Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book... Combines great real-life stories with philosophy and an intimate knowledge of farming.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about farming and detailed farming techniques. He built 5" - 8" of top soil in 3 years!!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are still struggling to reconnect to nature. Loved the descriptions and the authors zest for the living world.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting! He loved his farm and the land.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I visited Malabar Farm here in Ohio, I was so taken with the place that I felt I had to buy this book. I started reading it immediately, but eventually got bogged down and only recently decided that I ought to get back to it. I'm glad I did, if only for the delight of Chapter 13, "Of Boxers, A Mongoose, Some Goats and Sheep, A Bull and A Duck." If you like animals (such as those listed), you are likely to enjoy this chapter.

I enjoyed some of the rest of the book, but also found the author got rather repetitious at some points, and the dullest bits were the ones repeated. He's a good storyteller, and much of the prose is wonderful. I believe his ideas about agriculture were admirably progressive for the time, but it's on that topic where he tends to go over the same ground (forgive me) over and over, so I had to skim and skip large parts of some of the contents. If one thing is clear, it is that he really loved that land (and all that lived on it). But it's also clear that he was going to hammer home his views on correct approaches to land use at every opportunity, presumably until you surrender and do it his way.

Another fault is the element of reactionary politics in some places that is disappointing. On top of that, there's his casual racism about Native Americans - probably shared by many readers at the time, as it seems to have been the widely accepted view, but impossible to accept now. That seriously undermines the pleasure I might take in his more interesting and admirable views.

I also bought his daughter's memoir while at Malabar Farm, and it was fascinating (it's called "The Heritage: A Daughter's Memories of Louis Bromfield," by Ellen Bromfield Geld). Her book is way more interesting, in some ways. But getting back to this one, my view is it's not really a good read overall, unless you are interested in attempts to reform agricultural practice in the 20th century.

[Debbie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a keeper, it was written in 1943. It tells the story of the reclamation of Ohio farms by changing how they are farmed. My favorite chapter is #13, boxers, a mongoose, some goats and sheep, a bull and a duck. It is filled with delightful stories of those animals. My second favorite is "My ninety acres", the story of a farmer devoted to his land and his loving care of it. Some of the chapters are slow reading but overall a handbook full of ideas and how to.

[Rich Flanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

An elegiac recounting of the novelists's return from France in 1939 to his native Ohio to reclaim the family farm, almost destroyed by succeeding generation's mistreatment of the land. Exquisite descriptions of life among the hills, ponds and meadows of the farm lift the book to the level of spiritual odyssey. Its poetic evocations helped sustain this reader through grey asphalt years as an actor in New York. Bromfield's reverence for the land, for the wild and domestic animals, for all of nature, expressed in effortlessly lyrical prose, is like a healing balm. It is a book that has lost none of its impact or immediacy since it was first published in 1944. Way ahead of its time, it blazed the trail for the sustainable agriculture and organic farming of today. ''Pleasant Valley'' uplifts the reader from beginning to end, capturing the eternal beauty and timeless truths of nature.. I find myself re-reading it every few years, along with its equally beautiful sequel, ''Malabar Farm,'' just to refresh the spirit, to remind me of what matters.

[Megan Palasik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished this book. It had good and interesting parts that I flew through and then it had other parts that seemed to drag on and on. If I hear any more about restoring the land/soil and losing topsoil due to runoff I'll scream!

I happen to live about an hour from Malabar Farms and hadn't heard about it before reading this book and looking up information online. I'm excited to visit the farm for events they have throughout the year. However, after reading this book and Bromfield's love of the land and farming, I'm wondering about him rolling over in his grave at the possible commercialism that has probably come to his farm through the events that things that they probably have to do to keep it up and running.

I enjoyed the stories in this book about the different farms and the people who lived on them at one time or another. I also enjoyed the stories about the different pets and animals who lived on the farm. He had an interesting way of describing the antics of the animals. He frequently talked about the animals being like people and even family members and talks about them as such.

I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but I did recommend it to my dad who has lived in Ohio most of his life and loves books about the land. He has started reading it and loves it.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. I often see the difference in his 'live' farmer vs. one who doesn't fully connect to the land they are working. He offers a great sense of the importance of striving to understand and improve the land on which one lives so that it will continue to support him and and others indefinitely. While I don't agree with everything he says, he can be very insightful especially because many of the ideas that we can take for granted now where either invented or in the infancy at this time.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some chapters were a little too bogged down with details, I enjoyed this book. Bromfield was ahead of his time when it came to farming and conservation. The book appealed to me because I lived about an hour away from the area, I grew up in a farming community, I enjoy nature and organic gardening, and I've visited Malabar Farm. Those without similar interests may find it a bit slow.

[Wyyknot]

Pleasant Valley by Louis Bromfield (?)

[Abbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not age well. Still important points but very preachy and casting broad generalizations. At points felt boastful and showy while claiming humility.
There were a few chapters I still enjoyed.

[Rachel Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glorious, Romantic pastoral that I can see myself reading again in the future.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published 1945, this book well defines agriculture of the 1940's, the move to conservation and new farming methods aimed at saving, nurturing, contouring, discing vs plowing and using natural and manure spreading to reclaim the soil and improve agricultural production. Bromfield well writes his 14 years reclaiming 1000 acres of farmland nurturing not just the land, but the people who lived on the 4 consolidated farms, the animals, wildlife, waterways and forests. Reading I remembered my growing up years and visits to my Grand father Harry Messner's farm where some of the same farming methods were being implemented. Today the 1000 acre Malabar named farm is a Ohio State Park.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing local accounts and histories. Interesting observations. A little self congratulatory. Good book.

[Joe Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

he really accurately predicted the continued degradation of soil and thusly society. a wonderful book rich with images of beauty in the valley

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the surface, Pleasant Valley is pleasant. Nick Soter was born and raised in the small town and has had a pretty normal almost idealist life. His parents are outstanding and well respected members of the community. School is fine. Nick has even been invited to play his keyboard with his buddies in a local band. Life for Nick Soter is great and can only get better. Who knew that one wrong turn could bring Nick's world crashing down? Who could have possibly guessed at the evil that was lurking beneath the pleasant exterior of Pleasant Valley?

Pleasant Valley is a thriller that follows the life of Nick Soter after the aftermath of discovering the strange and evil mysteries at work in his hometown. Despite that Nick tries to just put these events out of his head and get on with his life, these incidents just keep coming back to haunt him. I like this aspect of Pleasant Valley as I think "trying to just get over it" is a really common reaction to trauma and almost always seems to lead right back to the problem.”